collective joy in graffiti alley
ann arbor, mi – summer 2018
–
“the urge to transform one’s appearance, to dance outdoors,
to mock the powerful and embrace perfect strangers is not easy to suppress.”
-Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy
what better way to celebrate the day than walking all together
the local merchants
the stormtrooper
the squirrel
the roller derby team
the pedal bikers
the mayor
the musicians with a cause
the snow buddies
the creatures.
and so many, many, more.
—
“diversity is about all of us,
and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.”
-jacqueline woodson
jacqueline is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She received the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award, and is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. In 2015, Woodson was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation.
what do you get
when you combine every kid in the city who is now out of school
with a very hot day and a community pool?
lots of squeals, water fights, slides, splashes, and snacks
everyone so happy to be free
all summer ahead of them
has the festive feel of adults
celebrating with a long night of cocktails
but the kids are hopped up on nothing but pure sunshine and water.
—
‘i feel like a torpedo.’
-michael phelps (u.s.a. olympic gold medalist in swimming)
—
image credit: New York July 12, 1937 McCarren Park Pool- vintage photo
the scene at the fairy house
located at a local store that is closing soon.
looks like it may have been hard on everyone.
—
“any man can lose his hat in a fairy-wind.”
Irish Saying
—
at the bead gallery, ann arbor, mi, usa
local mini-sinkhole with community reactions of all kinds.
—
“we didn’t expect quite that many.
we are slightly behind schedule because of sinkholes.”
-b.pincin
—
image credit: lee taylor-belcher, ann arbor townies
walking by the river
—
peace does not mean to be in a place
with no chaos, trouble, or hard realities to deal with.
peace means to be in the midst of all those things
and still remain mentally, emotionally, and physically centered.
-a. chernoff
—
huron river, ann arbor, michigan, usa – may 2018
“what did the tree learn from the earth to be able to talk with the sky?”
-pablo neruda
—
image credit: claudia tremblay, montreal
back in the parks today
under a sparkling sun
with
happy smiling people
and
playful animals
warmer.
—
“spring will come and so will happiness. hold on. life will get warmer.”
-Anita Krizzan
—
huron river, gallup park, ann arbor, mi, usa
proud to march today
with neighbors near and far
and with daughter and grandies
carrying the spirit and our legacy.
==
“only those with tenacity can march forward in march”
― ernest agyemang yeboah
—
credit: click on detroit, wdiv-tv, meredith bruckner
I didn't have my glasses on.... 